


By Your Side

by GlowBug2013



Category: Supernatural
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2015-09-24
Packaged: 2018-04-23 04:52:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4863833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlowBug2013/pseuds/GlowBug2013
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam has a really rough day and Dean goes big brother on the situation. Even if he can't solve all of Sam's problems, he can still try to make his life a little bit easier.<br/>Set with Sam being about 17.</p>
            </blockquote>





	By Your Side

Sam walked through the door at seven- thirty. Dean was waiting for him, an looked pissed. The younger lowered his gaze to his shoes. "Where the hell were you?" He started in immediately, tone biting and carrying an air of seniority. Sam just shook his head and tried to walk past him and into the shabby apartment kitchen. "I asked you a question." Dean snapped, grabbing his brother's arm and trying to force him to turn back around. He really only managed to hold him steady.  
"You know I was at school. I told you I'd be home late this morning." Sam growled back in a challenging tone. He pulled himself free and tried to head in the direction he was already going. "Play rehearsal ends at 6."   
"We messed up the last act really badly, so we had to do it again, then I had to walk home because I missed the late bus." He snarled back, reaching into a cupboard. With lightning reflexes, Dean had him pinned to the floor with a fist hovering over his face. Sam's floppy hair fell aside, revealing a massive shiner. He withdrew his fist, anger redirecting immediately. "What the hell happened, Sam?"  
He got off his younger brother's chest. By the time he was on his feet Sam was scrambling away. He was locked in their shared bedroom before Dean could object.  
The older brother paced the minute expanse of living space for what seemed like forever. At first it sounded like Sam was going to tear the place apart, but eventually he stopped slamming around like a deranged moose. Dean heard the squeal of old springs when Sam finally collapsed onto a bed. He paced some more, debating on whether or not he should go in and try to force answers, or let the other come to him. Not being the most patient of souls, he decided that it was his brotherly right to investigate. He knocked on the door and pushed his way in, not waiting for an answer.  
"What's going on, man?"   
He almost missed the muffled 'go away' that came from the lanky figure who lay face down on the bed. Of course, the older ignored it and sat on an unoccupied portion of the mattress, and willed himself not to look at the tornado of mess around the room. When he got closer he realized the younger was shaking. He placed a hand between his brother's shoulder blades and felt the shaking and trembles rolling through his spine. Dean knew the pillow was supposed to be silencing the sniffling noises, but it really wasn't helping much. He moved his hand up and down the tensed back.   
"Rough day?"  
"Awful."  
"Anything I can do?"  
"No."  
"What happened?"  
"What didn't?"  
Dean switched tactics, hoping he could get to the bottom of this before the night was out.  
"Listen, why don't I make dinner. You'll feel better after some food."  
"No I won't."  
"Sure, whatever."  
Dean pawed through the cupboard and found the boxes of good mac and cheese that he'd been saving for himself and set water to boil. Fifteen minutes later he dished two bowls and went to get Sam. He knocked on the door and waited outside. "Let's go, Sammy." He heard a sigh and the mattress groan, then the door opened to reveal his rather disheveled looking brother. Dean clapped him on the back and they walked to the kitchen together. Sam sat down, took a bite, then started shoveling food in his face at a startling rate. Wordlessly, Dean grabbed the pan from the stove and scraped the rest of the meal into his brothers now almost empty bowl so that it was full again.   
Sam looked up, seeming to realize where he was again. An apologetic look crossed his face when he looked down at his refilled bowl. Dean just sat down and started to feed himself slowly. Once Sam had tucked back into his meal, still eating more ravenously than usual, Dean started checking him over. His eyes were dry, but red rimmed. The bruise on his eye was swelling and now that he was looking he could see long slender bruises going up his brother's pale neck. By the time Sam had finished his second bowl, Dean had finished his inspection. He slid his half full bowl to the middle of the table, offering it to the other. Sam looked at it longingly, but shook his head. Dean wasn't fooled and slid the bowl closer, standing up and getting them both a beer. Sam looked like he was going to refuse, but relented and took the drink. Dean was a little surprised when he slugged down half of it before lowering it.   
"Slow down, Killer. What's eatin' ya?" Sam set the beer down and lowered his gaze to the table. He muttered something, but all Dean could catch was "sucks".  
"What sucks?"  
"Everything."  
Sam shoveled the last few bites of food into his mouth and chugged the rest of his beer.  
"No more until you tell me what happened today."  
"You're gonna let me have two?"  
"You look like you could use it. Gotta prove it though."  
Sam sighed and folded his hands on the table.  
"The whole day?"  
"The whole day."  
"Fine. I woke up late and had to practically throw clothes on and sprint to the bus stop. I missed breakfast and the bus, so I ran to school. When I got there I realized that I never put my work in my bag. I know I should have gotten it all together before last night’s hunt, but I didn't. This jerk cornered me after gym and literally beat me up for my lunch money. I think he hit my head against something or I hit it when I fell, because I blacked out. I woke up a few periods later and was given a detention for cutting classes. I had to break up with Ally because we're leaving again at the end of the semester, and try to explain that a long distance relationship with me will never work, so now I'm a selfish lazy bastard to every girl in my grade. That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for all the notes in my locker about how worthless I am, or all the glares I get. I was late to play rehearsal because of the detention. I was still a little foggy and couldn't get any of my lines or cues right, so we had to run it again because I was doing so terribly. After practice a bunch of the guys grabbed me and tossed me around a little. Then, I walked home."  
The younger Winchester finished speaking and rested his head on the table. Dean was rattled, but slid a flawless poker face into place. He stood up and went to the fridge, and grabbed another beer and an ice pack from the freezer. He scooted his chair to his brother's side and snagged a nearby dish towel to wrap the ice in. "Shit, little brother, that's a lot of action for 24 hours."  
Sam just groaned. Dean combed through the shaggy hair and made short work of finding the massive goose egg and covering it with the ice. Sam hissed in pain, but didn't move. "So you're telling me that this is the first time you've eaten since yesterday at lunch? I know we didn't get dinner before the hunt." Sam groaned something to the affirmative. Dean's insides were on fire, who thought that they had the right to mess with his little brother? "Why didn't you just take out the kid that wanted your money?"  
"Because if I want to get into a decent school I need to stop getting write ups for fighting. I'm trying to keep a low profile. Besides, he looked like he needed it.  
"Yeah, for drugs."  
"No, he looked like he was hurting for cash pretty bad."  
Dean guided Sam to sit up so he could put ice on the offending eye.   
"And then you let a bunch of theater geeks take you out too? You better hope to hell that you ARE concussed for taking that one lying down."  
Sam rolled his eyes, then lurched to his feet, making it to the sink just in time to puke his guts out.  
"I guess that answers that... Is that the first time you've puked?"  
"Yes, but I didn't have anything to puke up earlier. I dry heaved for a bit after I woke up."  
He rinsed his mouth and staggered back to his seat. Dean did everything their father taught them to do when testing for and dealing with a concussion. Before too long Sam was laying on the couch with a large bowl by his side and ice on his face. Dean told him he had two hours to sleep before first wake up. Sam grumbled something about just letting him sleep.  
"No can do, kiddo. You know the rules with concussions. You'll be up and walking around every two hours." Sam was already fading out, but he heard the distant "Hey, I know this sucks. We'll get through it though." And somehow, he knew Dean wasn't just talking about the concussion.


End file.
